What is Best Sound from PC into MF Tri-vista

IMHO you definitely do not want to use a soundcard - too noisy. Two choices,

1) a USB device like the now hard to find Waveterminal, then a SPDIF or Toslink into the DAC - I run this with excellent results using an Opticis fiber USB which can run great distances...

or probably the better choice

2) A Squeezebox (SB) which is a network device that can connect via either Ethernet or WiFi (802.11g). The SB can give you a SPDIF out. Many people mod theirs (Redwine Audio or Bolder Cable) but the big first step is simply to get a better power supply - check the Squeezebox Forums for the latest there.

The big advantage is that the SB has a remote interface meaning that you can control the music selection (ie the hard drive) from your music room. You can also use it to stream Internet radio. Neither of which the USB solution can do.

What Ckroady said. Get a SB2 or SB3, have Bolder do a digital mod to it (yes, it does help), and get a better power supply. With your Tri-vista I think this will give you an awesome front end.

BTW, I think Red Wine may not be modding Squeezeboxes any more.

rdemasi@bellsouth.net,

Well I chose the following because I use Itunes on a windows machine streaming .WAV files. The Roku works with the Itunes database flawlessley. You have complete control from the Roku using the remote, of your .WAV files through Itunes.

PC ethernet cable out to a Roku SoundBridge spdif coax out to a MF Tri-Vista DAC. I was very satisfied with this setup. Let me regress, I am using a Theta Digital Data Basic II Transport. I couldn't tell the difference between the Transport and the Computer as a transport untill I uploaded Celine Dion on the computer. The sound was a touch on the bright side making the system sound a little bass shy. I have gone back to the Transport for critical listening and only use the Roku for casual listening. Don't get me wrong I think the Roku is a great device as it also works on a wireless network. I have only had problems with that one CD not all of them.

As far as analog out the Roku has a long way to go to catch the SqueezBox.

Good Luck in your search.

Michael

I have the Tri Vista 21 DAC as well and use Foobar as the frontend with a Chaintek sound card. Output is with kernel streaming via SPDIF. The DAC is connected to a BP25 and 4 7BST amps. Output and sound quality to the RS1B's is superb. I store all media as WAV files on a 1 Terabyte raid array. Bit perfect output will not sound any different with another modded card, as I am outputting raw data and allowing the Trivista to do the conversion. If it were to be analog output via the sound card it would be a different story. I have used this frontend on my other system as well and can say it is as good as some of the highend transports people rave about. 33H amps, Genesis 200 speakers, levinson pre. A very nice reference system to judge musical qualities. Let your ears be the judge.

MAK